The Origin Story of FL Senate Bill 90
With the recent passing of Senate Bill 90, or SB90, it is important for all Floridian voters to understand the background of this bill.
The inspiration for senate bill 90 stemmed from the rising number of mail-by voting ballots in 2020. Mail- by voting ballots are ones that an individual can request so they do not have to go to the polling stations in person on election day. Mail-by voting increased significantly because of the coronavirus pandemic, with exactly 4.85 million Floridians using this voting method in the past presidential election. This voting method is also known as voting absentee. When President Biden became president, it caused many republicans to overturn the election as a last attempt to put former President Trump back in the office. These events caused an especially unpredictable event of the creation of Senate bill 90. The first concept on this bill was presented by republican representative Braxley, who has been a part of the Senate since 2016. After it was introduced by a member of the senate, the proposed bill was referred to as the Ethics and Elections.
After a couple of months, on April 26th the bill was passed over to the House for their review. This proposed bill was amended several times because of the conflict that comes with collaboration. By the end of the debate, the bill was passed 23–17 in the Senate. In the House, it was passed 77–40. The passing was also known as a party-line vote because republican representatives agreed, with only one democratic representative siding with the proposed bill. This means every other democratic representative was strongly against the approval of this bill. It was not long after that, on May 3rd, 2021, that it was presented to Governor DeSantis and approved.
Some people may question, if many representatives signed off on the bill, then what is the controversy? Said in the words of Florida representative Hardy, “it is the revival of Jim Crow.” This is because the bill seems to have targeted people of color, but also individuals who are lower-income as well. What these populations have in common is they do not have the same amount of time or resources that individuals of a higher status possess to complete political participation. Senate Bill 90 allows for restrictions on ballot boxes and mail-by voting. These are ways in which people, who are of the working class and/or minorities, could vote because it does not infringe on the time during their working hours. Not everyone has the ability to take time out of their day to vote, they are more worried about putting food on the table.
The restrictions of mail-by voting and ballot boxes are honestly just the beginning of the ways Senate Bill 90 suppresses vulnerable populations. Some other ways are included below:
1. It has become a criminal act to deliver more than 2 ballot boxes, other than the deliverer’s own, to their respective location.
2. One must request a mail-in ballot for every general election. Mail-by voting will only be allowed at certain times when it used to be twenty-four-seven. This not only endorsed convenient voting, but it made it possible for everyone’s voice to be heard.
3. Poll watcher’s constraints have been changed. Poll watchers are the individuals who observe voting stations, who are chosen by a political party. They observe the locations in which you vote, which are the only places and times you can vote.
These are some of the new rules and regulations stated in Senate Bill 90. Please do your part and educate yourself and your friends on Senate Bill 90. For more information about how individuals and/or organizations responded to the implementation of Senate Bill 90, please look at the other articles that will be posted soon or on our other social media platforms.
Together with this knowledge, congratulations, you will be able to #voteprepared !!
Resources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/15/voting-restrictions-states-475732
https://www.flsenate.gov/Committees/BillSummaries/2021/html/2457
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/90/?StartTab=RelatedBills#RelatedBills
